Redhook Eisbock 28 - Redhook Ale Brewery

youradhere

Arkansas

1.3/5  rDev -65%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Poured from a 22 on xmas, this looked promising. Poured bright maroon with off white head. That is the end of the appeal right there. Smelled like candy in a gross way, Smarties (and I like those which is why I gave a 2), corn syrup, fruity pebbles, it was seriously overwhelming as there was nothing beer like in this nose. Taste: Sugary hot, like cherry cough syrup, booze vomit and PBR, this beer gave me a headache and made me nauseous after 15 minutes of trying to finish the 3 ounces of my 22 ounce glass. I wanted this to get better, but it only got worse in flavor as time progressed. The mouthfeel was both slippery and thin at the same time, this in conjunction with the flavors was most unappealing. A medicinal bitterness mixed with artificial sweetner clung to my palate and coated my tongue. I ended up dumping the rest down the drain as it was just not happening, maybe there was something in the beer that gave me an adverse reaction. I don't know what was wrong with this beer but I doubt I'll be back to re-review it, it was truly unpleasant.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 17:09:04 | More by youradhere

cfleisher

New Hampshire

1.95/5  rDev -47.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Aroma: No hop aroma. Caramel, sugary. French Toast. No DMS or diacetyl. The fermentation is clean. Dark fruit. Candied cherries.

Appearance: Crystal clear. Ruby. Thin, fizzy head that dies down immediately. Appropriate for style, though. No sticky lacing or legs.

Flavor: Sharp astringency. Burnt sugar and toffee. A lot of alcohol heat, hides the malt and almost every other flavor. Finishes very dry, especially for a bock. Leaves some sweet aftertaste, but not much. No hop flavor, DMS or diacetyl. The balance is way to the alcohol and astringency side.

Mouthfeel: Prickly, medium light body. Strong alcohol warmth, even sharp. Low carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2010 23:15:35 | More by cfleisher

beertunes

Washington

2.65/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Served in a straight tulip glass. Poured a clean, clear reddish mahogany, with about 3/4 inch of light tan head that had very good retention and good lacing.

The aroma was a little sweet, some spicy yeast, but mostly a benign scent. The flavor was also sweet, with some alcohol, but otherwise not much was noticeable.

The body was OK, a bit thin and a little sticky. Drinkability was OK, but nothing special. Worth a shot if you see it, but not worth seeking out.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2010 21:36:14 | More by beertunes

harrymel

Washington

2.7/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

From notes verbatim on 10/12/10
Bottled: 8/30/10

A: Beautiful copper ale with continuous cylinder of bubbles from the bottom which dissipate at the surface. No lacing. No head.

S: Not impressive by any means. Sweet toffee, apricot. Very sweet.

T: Sweet, cucumber, toffee and grain. Still a bit hot.

M: Reminiscent of smooth liquor in warmth, not in genre lines. Numbs the tongue.

D: Okay, but not something I plan to revisit.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 07:41:39 | More by harrymel

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

2.75/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours 1/2 finger of beige head. Color is a clear copper.

Aroma: Cereal grain and malts. Caramel and toffee with some sweetness. Not much here.

Taste: Huge cereal grain flavor and malts. A decent amount of booze. Some caramel and toffee. Sweet dried fruits.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, warming, and creamy. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends warm and malty.

Overall, not the best eisbock in the world. Rather boring for the style. Might be nice for the winter, but I would rather pick up something else.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 23:04:09 | More by mothman

drabmuh

Maryland

2.78/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I don't have a lot of respect for Redhook in general but I had just had an eisbock yesterday so I thought I would grab this one. Not even on beeradvocate though.

LIMITED RELEASE is plastered all over this bottle. "Ice Processed Winter Warmer"

Beer is amber and clear with a big head of giant bubbles that falls apart rather quickly. Carbonation is moderate and steady, looks fine. Not a lot of lacing.

Aroma is almost like an imperial pils. Very odd. Its not really sweet or hot....its kind of bland. It doesn't smell bad...its just not there.

OK, this beer is oddly bitter and super dry. Its mildly sweet but the dryness is not endearing this beer to me. There is this almost hop like bitterness at the back of the beer. This makes this a rough road beer for me. I'm going in again, its a little fruity in the midpalate, the second sip was better than the first, but the bitterness and the dryness do not play well together. Unfortunately, still not a fan of Redhook.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2010 01:54:01 | More by drabmuh

drpimento

Wisconsin

2.9/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Sort of a nice try, I guess. Sometimes less is more. Here, more is less. Poured with a fine, small off white head and no lace. Color is a clear red amber and no bubble trails. Aroma is massive caramel, malt, a little toffee. Flavor is first malt sweet, then like aroma and alcohol. Body is big and round as expected for this kind a beer. Finish is like flavor and lasts a while. I'm only drinking part of the sample and no mas.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 04:50:30 | More by drpimento

ktrillionaire

Florida

2.98/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - The look is probably the best aspect, not that it looks so great or anything... It looks totally solid, that's all. It is a caramel-amber hue, translucent, capped with an off-white head, no real lace.

S - It smells vague. No specific elements are apparent, just vaguely spicy-sweet malt and green hop.

T - Same as the nose. It tastes just fine, but no flavor specifics are apparent. Green hop and big yet semi-dry malt are the alpha and omega here. The hiding of the alcohol is quite a feat.

M - The 11% ABV is totally obscured, helped along by the very smooth mouthfeel.

D - Not bad, but not special either.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2010 22:38:10 | More by ktrillionaire

champ103

Texas

2.98/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours an attractive hazy ruby red color. At first a to finger beige head forms, but recedes in a second. Light lace is left behind.
S: Initially I get a lot of fruits that I really enjoyed. Though that quickly faded to just sweet malt. Kind of a dank woody aroma as well.
T: Really sweet malt again. Dank woody flavors and plenty of fusel like alcohol.
M/D: A medium to full body. This has moderate carbonation, and not to heavy. The alcohol is very powerful. Very slow sipping. To much for one person to finish.

The huge sweetness and alcohol punch just wears down the palate. Initially this is very enjoyable, if a little simplistic. Though overall just to much, for me anyway. Cheers to Redhook for doing something different, and something that is worth a try however.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2010 23:12:01 | More by champ103

dvb

Washington

3.03/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Deep copper color with decent head retention and lacing for a beer that is so strong.

S - This one has IPA written all over it. Wait, something is wrong... this is an eisbock! WTF? .5 points removed for being way off style.

T - Insanely hoppy. Think DIPA. Just short of cloyingly sweet.

M - Drinks like a DIPA. Sticky. Warming due to the high alcohol content.

D - I could drink this again, but the sweetness is a bit much and it is clearly off style.

Having said all that, this is not a bad beer. If you like malty, sweeter DIPAs, you will probably like this. But if you are looking for a strong bock, you will not get that with this beer. Drink this beer with that in mind.

Edit: Reading back through some of the reviews, it seems that many who've tried this beer did not detect much in the way of hops. Interesting!

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2010 02:08:20 | More by dvb

zimm421

Ohio

3.03/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bomber into a snifter. Appears a hazy amber/bronze color with a thin off-white head that doesn't stick around for too long and doesn't leave any lacing.

Smells sweet as well as a hint of alcohol, but the alcohol is hidden well for the level it's at. The taste is sweet in the beginning and middle, with the caramel being the most noticeable taste. The end is slightly bitter, but the sweetness is definitely the prominent taste.

Mouthfeel is very smooth and very heavy bodied. This is definitely something to sip because of the mouthfeel, but still something that goes down pretty easily. Overall, a good beer, but not something overly impressive.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 03:01:05 | More by zimm421

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.08/5  rDev -17%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2nd bottle of this... the first was shared with inflatablechair.. this one is just Galt. Poured into my Old Guardian goblet.

1" foamy off white head.. nice lacing, but little retention.. the brew is polished amber.

Nose is a bit uninspiring... pale malts.. lite toast and caramel.. something that I can only describe as cherry in the mix..

Flavor has a better showing, but only marginally.. toasty malts with bits of vanilla... tons of alcohol, not in a good way... warming the gullet is an understatement.. Honestly, there isn't a whole lot of going on, minor maltiness and big EtOH.. not much taste and even less aroma... the cherry is still present.. spicy and something that reminds me of menthol in the finish.

I've only had a few malt liquors (and all craft ones :-), but this is what I think of. Drinkable if you have too, and I'm going to, because I paid too much for a 2nd go around.

3.5/2.5/3/3.5/3.5

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2010 07:22:22 | More by JohnGalt1

SkeeterHawk

Texas

3.1/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours an invitingly clear reddish orange color with a small cap of off white foam that faded back into the beer within 30 seconds or so. There are some bubbles rising slowly through the obviously viscous liquid, but they don't stick once they make their way to the top. Swirling and drinking doesn't leave any lace.

Aroma: The beer is really cold right now, but even still I believe that the aroma is quite reserved for what I expected on this beer. There is a little bit of alcoholic prickling on the nose along with plenty of malt on the light caramel side of things. As the beer warms up, the alcohol is becoming more noticeable.

Taste: The beer tastes about like I expected it to from the aroma. Pretty hot from the alcohol with the balance obviously toward the malt and sweet. In the beginning of the sip, there is a bit of dryness that may be carbonation getting mixed up with the light body that you get from an alcoholic beer. The syrupy sweetness and alcoholic warming is what you are left with on the palate after the sip to linger for a long time. Mouthfeel is medium with the carbonation actually being a bit high for the style so it is a little unusual in that even though there is some serious syrupy sweetness, the beer doesn't seem chewy.

Opinion: Maybe I am just being a little too critical, but this beer really wasn't my "cup of tea". I really, really, REALLY, like the Eisbock style, and this beer doesn't suck, but it really falls short of what I would expect for this type of beer. In my mind, I am putting it up against Kulmbacher, so it isn't holding up well at all. That said, I plan on finishing the bottle. It isn't flawed or anything, but just lacks the definition that I believe makes an Eisbock.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 09:04:18 | More by SkeeterHawk

kiddynamite920

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Light copper, red with a one finger head. Faded pretty quickly.

S: Some candied fruits, very muted hops and almost a fruit roll up aroma. Super sweet with a good hint of alcohol

T: Very sweet...Candy sweet. No hops here. Very boozy as well. Cant really pick up much beer character from this one. Strong alcohol is overwhelming.

M: Thin, very strong on the alcohol heat.

D: Tough, this one burns the nasal cavity. Super hot beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2010 02:47:22 | More by kiddynamite920

srandycarter

California

3.15/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Deep amber, nice off white head, leave slow. Lots of cling.

S - Sweet alcoholic malt.

T - Booze with some malt hints. Pretty harsh, IMO.

M - Hard to tell balance when it's so boozy.

D - At least you KNOW you are getting F**ked when you drink this and maybe will pace it...

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2010 02:25:39 | More by srandycarter

KTCamm

New Jersey

3.15/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from the brewers special bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a brightish kind of red with very little foam. Malty caramel smell. Sweet. Astringent taste, lots of cough medicine taste. Some cherry. Solid hop bitter right throughout. String malt profile. Difficult finish.

Not an easy drinker - not for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 02:01:06 | More by KTCamm

billab914

Virginia

3.2/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22oz bottle into my Dogfish snifter. It poured a brownish mahogany color with a modest frothy white head. The head had some decent retention to it with a bit of lacing as well.

The aroma has a big maltiness to it with some caramel, darrkfruit and a good amount of spice coming through. A bit of alcohol is there but not too bad for the abv%.

The taste is similar to the aroma with a big malty profile to it. caramel and a little dark fruits come through in it. It shows a moderate spice to it that I can't quite put my finger on. Moderate bitterness in the finish as well as some warming alcohol.

The mouthfeel is on the heavier side with moderate carbonation. Drinkability isn't bad overall but not great either. It had some decent malty flavors but the spice coming through didn't really help it for me. Not a bad beer overall but one I'd probably try only once.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 00:39:15 | More by billab914

mactrail

California

3.25/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

With a few juniper berries this could be gin.

Gorgeous redhead color and sparkling clean. First sip is a doozy. I don't think I've ever encountered an ale with a more purely hot alcohol flavor. I don't think "balance" was what Redhook had in mind, but it somehow avoids the nuisance of malt fllavor and gets right to the jet fuel. Very sweet yet light bodied.

Well, $13 in San Diego seems a little much for a beer that seems to have been made with one tank truck of corn sugar and another of industrial alcohol. But if you like beer oddities, you'll want to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2010 04:10:25 | More by mactrail

zhanson88

Montana

3.3/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pours a deep clear ruby color, with about a finger of light tan head. It dissipates fairly quickly leaving absolutely no lacing.

Smell: Malts, caramel, a bit of cherry/fruity smell, and a powerful fusel alcohol smell. Overall the fusels really drown out everything else.

Taste: The malts in this one are pretty up-front. I also get a bit of cherry, caramel, and some peppery, spicy notes. This beer is 11% ABV and I can taste every bit of that. Like the smell, the alcohol makes me miss a lot of the other flavors initially.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: This has beer has a very smooth, syrupy mouthfeel. Drinkability isn't real high because you can really taste the alcohol in it.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2010 03:14:35 | More by zhanson88

BretSikkink

Mexico

3.33/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Tanned head seems somewhat transient, but looks good initially. Bronze-copper color. Nose is somewhat strong, but fairly nondescript, more befitting an ale of much smaller dimensions: toasted barley, biscuits and pale sweetness. A hint toward caramel and overripe fruits add slight complexity, but their vagueness muddles the nose somewhat.

Heat is front and center here. Toasted grain is still there, along with sticky caramel and a nod toward oak and vanilla. However, this nod also produces heat that amplifies the ill-hidden booze, and turns this into a bit of a sticky mess. Hops add a slight menthol twist toward the finish.

Body is light compared to others of this style, but just as sticky. Finishes really sweet and warming. Drinkable in small doses, but I rarely have trouble putting down a bomber and I'm not sure I need to finish this.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 04:05:03 | More by BretSikkink

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.4/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

650ml bottle, it is kind of an ambiguous brew because it is called "eisbock" but the label proclaims it is a "winter warmer".

At any rate it looks pretty neat, it is a clear red with a fizzy off-white head that dissipates quickly but leaves a froth of foam.

It smells like fruity alcohol. Not like any other beer really, it smells like a fruit beer. The main fruits are oxidized cherries and raisins.

The flavor is super fruity with a huge alcoholic kick. It isn't cloying like i thought it would be. It has a predominant rotten fruit flavor. It has the presence of a port wine. There is some caramel in there as well.

The mouthfeel is surprisingly carbonated, I don't think it works well with the high alcohol level. This one really does warm up your belly and throat.

It is a bit on the wild side, but I could see on a cold winter's day this being pretty appetizing.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2010 06:57:51 | More by crossovert

MrHungryMonkey

Texas

3.4/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Nose is darkly fruity and malty with a stick sort of sweetness, soft citric tanginess and chocolate. Smells pretty good.

Pours clear dark oak color with moderate head. Looks good.

Taste follows nose. It is incredibly smooth with a mild slickness. Sticks fairly close to what I would expect from a strong helles bock. Alcohol is not terribly notable. Tastes pretty good. Feels pretty good. Pretty good drinkability.

Not overly exciting but well priced.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2010 02:12:59 | More by MrHungryMonkey

FosterJM

California

3.4/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

117th review on BA
Bottle to Pint

App- A very orangy amber with soft yellow highlights.

Smell- All I got was spice and malt.

Drink- A spicy, malty warmer. Has a unique almost caramel-butterscotch taste to it.

Mouth- Pretty much medium bodied with a low carbonation point. It's a pretty lush 11% and drinks a pretty smooth kind of way

Drink- Not to bad. Kind of an unassuming 11% drinker. Leaves some things on the table and I think the flavor profile could be kicked a bit while bringing it down to a 8-9%

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2010 07:44:05 | More by FosterJM

NStLincoln

Nebraska

3.43/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours an orange brown with a slight tan head.

A slight hint of citrus that's overpowered by malt and caramel. A bit of heat from the 11% alcohol, too.

Lots of toffee and caramel that and loads of malt balance pretty well with all the alcohol. Not all that complex though, ends slightly hot.

A pretty mild drink for 11%. Malty and smooth.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2010 01:05:05 | More by NStLincoln

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.43/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

From the 650 ml. bottle stamped Aug-30-10-14:48-WA. Sampled on March 5, 2011. It pours into the dimped mug an attractive copper color with virtually no head. Ultra-sweet malts begin the aroma with an obvious alcohol background. There is also a hint of toffee on the nose. The body is medium. The taste was a pucker-up kind of sour bitterness but at the same time smooth and creamy. A dry hop ending finishes it. I was not a fan of the aftertaste though.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2011 21:38:19 | More by puboflyons